'Goblin' writer Kim Eun-sook has been voted as the most talented writer in Korea after a poll survey was conducted from TV Report writers and officials from the entertainment industry in the South East Asian nation. The writer of internationally acclaimed dramas 'Descendants of the Sun' and 'Goblin: The Lonely and Great God' surely deserves such honour.
Website Koreaboo reports that Kim Eun-sook, who hails from Gangneung city of South Korea, received a total of 19 votes out of 30, clinching the top spot as the best entertainment writer in Korea. This was bound to be, as she is the woman behind such successful dramas like 'Lovers in Paris,' her debut drama, 'Secret Garden,' 'The Heirs' and the other two, mentioned above. Koreaboo notes that the average viewer rating of all her works is an impressive 22.05 percent.
It was no surprise that 13 out of 19 voters chose 'Goblin' as her best work till now. The voters reportedly said Gong Yoo starrer 'Goblin' was just perfect in every way with the story, dialogue, acting, and characters. It helped that the direction, cinematography and music were excellent as well. According to one particular voter, for 'Goblin,' Kim Eun-sook had "perfected her narrative she wanted to tell while maintaining her merits that she has shown in her previous works." Another voter said, "I think it is an interesting take on a Cinderella story that is unique to Kim Eun Sook."
It was certainly a unique experience to watch the story of a 939 year-old Goblin and his bride, played by Kim Go-eun, unfold on screen, especially because of the many different layers in the storytelling. It wasn't a typical romantic Dysney tale. 'Goblin' was primarily about death and the effect and impact it has on life surrounding us. Kim Shin's immortality and the Lee Dong-wook acted Grim reaper's soul collection were perhaps a metaphor for life and death, two brothers forever bearing witness to the unending traffic of love and loss on this physical plane of existence and the threshold between those two extremes.
In the survey, one entertainment official said, "By reinterpreting multiple different elements, I was at first concerned about the largely fantasy setting of the drama that would continue to switch to historical scenes. It was so shocking and fresh that I wondered just how this story, these characters, and the reversals within the story could have even been prepared.
The official continued, saying "Their situations can be childish and funny, but the characters such as the Goblin and Grim Reaper are also charming. This was a drama that made use of not only the main actors, but all of the supporting actors too. There may have been a bit lacking in the middle episodes, but the final episodes can satisfy all of the viewers, and it seems like the prejudice that Kim Eun Sook can only write romantic stories was broken. This drama showed the power of Kim Eun Sook."
The entertainment official is certainly right in his assessment of Kim Eun-sook's potential. I believe we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. We can certainly hope for her touches on even more complexly existential, funny, romantic, at the same time vast subject matters in the future. Her next project will be a historical drama as per various news reports and is expected to air in early 2018.
